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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Operation Kegerator!

So a couple months ago my friend Matt mentioned his work has some merchandiser fridges they beat up for R&D purposes. Functional, but too ugly to actually use for their intended purpose of high end food vending.

Asked if I'd be interested.

So I rented a U-Haul van and went to pick one up. A $1200+ Merchandiser fridge for the cost of a U-Haul to pick it up? Well I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know that's a damn good deal.

Also, it has wheels. Sweet.

Originally the door wasn't even attached. Matt came over while I was brewing my Bock for the BrewUnited Challenge and helped me sort out how to get that door on there. Was a long rod stuck in there to... I'm not sure. Anyway, long story short he sorted that out and we got the door on.

Sweet.

Buncha holes there though. Easy enough!

Slapped some HVAC tape on the inside so the foam wouldn't expand into the fridge.

Also foamed up around the edges of the glass because the plastic was separating slightly in a few places. Taped it all up, and here we have it.

Wheeled it inside (did I mention it has fuckin WHEELS? this is awesome) and put some beer in there. Worked great, got things cold. But ultimately the goal is a Kegerator, right?

Step #3: Mark off where to put a hole (and for the second one, I have another tap arriving next week).

Step #4: Drill! I used this bit to drill a 7/8" hole. I used a 1/2" bit to punch a hole through to the inside of the fridge so I could use the step bit to expand it to 7/8" without having to do any guesswork (or measuring) in there.

Step #5: Install shank & faucet! I used a rubber mallet to get it through the hole. It was a tight fit, and it'd be a real bitch to remove the shank.

Step #6: Pour! This is the Bock for the BrewUnited Challenge. Not drinking too much of it, gonna bottle some up later this week.

Blurry phone picture I took. Screw it. Beer!

Overall, I'm fuckin stoked. Beer on tap is awesome. Now I just need to get/install a drip tray and slap a bottle opener on there too. Easy enough. For now a towel on the floor will do for the drips, though the Perlick 630SS hasn't been dripping much at all.